MANSFIELD — Anything that looks like paint produced by crows is usually an unwelcome addition to Mansfield Central Park’s monuments and benches.
But Ohio Bird Sanctuary crows CeCe and CoLee painted canvases with their talons to display and sell among human-produced art at the Crow Art Show. Curator of birds Amanda Vanderford gave the crowd treats for stepping on the perch she laid the canvases on, and later introduced water-based paint to the perch for the crows to walk in and spread to the canvas.
“In about two days, they were hopping on the canvas no problem,” Vanderford said. “They did their paintings all by choice.”
Vanderford sent over about 20 bird-produced art pieces to sell at the Mansfield Art Center and said the crows are still creating more.
Besides the crows themselves, about 64 participating artists across the state of Ohio have more than 120 art pieces on display in the Mansfield Art Center, said operations manager Jerry Francl.
“We’ve had a lot of new participating artists with this, and with that comes awareness of the Art Center itself,” Francl said. “It’s something to offer back to the community and raise awareness about the crows themselves.”
Francl said he had talked about the idea of a Crow Festival for years with his staff and the Art Center happened to have an open two weeks available for a new exhibition this month.
The Art Center posted callouts for crow-themed art submissions this summer. It received submissions from local artists across Ohio.
“It’s interesting to see how every artist has their own take on the subject matter,” Francl said. “We’ve had seasoned-veteran artists and a sixth grader enter some work too — it’s pretty all-inclusive.”
The art on display portrays crows through mediums including paintings, sculptures, pressed flowers and 3D printing.
The Crow Art Show opened Oct. 22 and features works in the Art Center’s gift shop, foundation gallery and spotlight gallery. The Crow Art Show will be open through Nov. 6 during the Art Center’s open hours.
Visitors can also view art at the official CrowFest celebration Oct. 29. Saturday’s afternoon activities include a crow scavenger hunt and make-your-own crow masks for kids from 2 to 4 p.m.
Francl said families are free to bring children in their Halloween costumes if they are in the middle of trick or treating.
From 4 to 8 p.m., Francl said Deja Food, Slab Daddy’s and Phoenix Brewing Company will be selling food and drinks outside the Art Center. The Art Center will host a screening of “The Birds” in its pavilion if weather permits.
Saturday will also feature the announcement of “Best in Crow” prizes from a guest art judge, a pumpkin carving contest and a crow calling contest. Francl said people participating in the pumpkin carving contest should drop off their pumpkins before Saturday.
Dan Lew Exchange will host the CrowFest afterparty at 28 N. Main St.
The entry cost for Saturday’s CrowFest is $5 per person, or free for Mansfield Art Center members.
The Art Center is hosting a masquerade ball Friday evening with a $25 cover cost per person. The ball includes desserts and drinks, and music from Stellare String Quartet playing classical and pop music renditions. A mask or costume is required for entry to the ball.
Francl warns Saturday’s attendees to “watch out for the Mansfield Birdman” and suggests stopping by the artist’s selfie station inside the gallery.
Though the Crow Festival is hosting activities during a busy weekend in the midst of trick or treating, Francl said the Art Center has received great feedback ahead of the event.
“This being the first year, we’re really impressed with the overall response to it. It will become an annual thing and I can only see it growing from here,” he said.
